And, by the way...

Cayden did get a Bronco shirt for his birthday. I decided he had suffered for a long month having to have a Bears shirt hanging in his closet and it was time to get the kid a shirt that he really wanted. I am tempted to see if the Bears shirt will fit me (I wish). He already offered it to me. I guess I will continue to be the only Denver Bronco fan holdout in my family. There might be hope for Bryce....

Cayden turned 7

On January 30th Cayden turned 7. It made me feel many things included proud and sad (he told me I couldn't kiss him in public anymore). Cayden is my easygoing, laid back, sensitive (really sensitive), academic, and loving child. It is hard to believe he is 7. I remember the day he was born and when I look at him I still can't believe at one time that someone said he would be an "average" baby. They were referring to size but there is no way this kid has ever been "average". For one, he weighed 9 lbs 4 oz and that is not average in any book. For two, he is one of a kind. This year for his birthday he asked if he could collect money to send to Haiti. He was truly moved by the stories of suffering that I told him (edited for a 7 year old). He liked getting presents too :)

Sometimes I can't help but think of some of my favorite memories of Cayden:
1. Watching Charlotte's Web and sobbing when Charlotte died. Real sobs and real tears!
2. Listening to him count to 5 for the first time at a restaurant when he was 1 1/2
3. Drawing a beer bottle "cap" at Christian School Kindergarten when all the picture called for was a "cap"
4. Swimming lessons where he wouldn't get in the water.
5. Leaving the movie "Happy Feet" because it was too sad.
6. Dunking cookies in milk for the first time.
7. Watching him boogie board in Hawaii this last summer (I think it still panics me to think about it).
8. Every night for about a year at bedtime Cayden would say, "Mom, tell dad to check on me and don't forget to check on me before you go to bed" Never failed...
And, many, many more...

Happy Birthday Lovey Dovey (even though I don't get to call him that anymore).

As we begin this year with him I am sure he will continue to be way beyond average.

An Update on Bryce

It is 2am and for once Bryce is sleeping and I am not. I think we finally figured out how to get Bryce to stay in his bedroom and go to sleep at a decent hour. Unfortunately for my in-laws, they had to witness this new method. A method which, by the way, I swore I would never do. I stood outside his bedroom door and held the handle so he couldn't come back out. It worked with so little crying I was actually mad at myself for not trying it weeks, and many short walks, ago. Each night Bryce gets his normal two stories in the rocking chair. Then, I leave. Usually, he decides to stay in the chair with lots of books and the "light on and music off". Sometimes, Winnie the Pooh gets to accompany him. Normally what happens is this:
5-10 minutes of "reading"
1 minute of seeing if he can get out to the living room
2 minutes of climbing into his bed with his "b" and "fi" and going to sleep.
10 minutes of mom and dad holding their breath to make sure that it is really true.
BIG SIGH

If patience is a virtue...

If patience is a virtue than I am covered. Here is yet another picture of Bryce asleep in the chair in his room. This was the night that I walked him back to his room 28 times before Jeff got home (just in the nick of time I might add). Jeff walked him back two more times before Bryce finally gave up the fight and fell asleep like this.

A couple nights later Bryce watched "The Hangover" with Jeff and I because he was still awake. Last night it only took us an hour and 20 minutes to get him to sleep. We stopped counting how many times he came out of his room. It might be time to shorten his nap?

Da Bears

Santa Claus is amazing. As you all probably know Jeff is a big Denver Broncos fan and I am not. I believe that this year Santa wanted to even the score. He left Bryce and Cayden Chicago Bears shirts. Bryce didn't care but Cayden was not happy. He prefers the Broncos like his dad. He even offered to give me the shirt! I made him wear it so that I could get a picture of the two of them together. Look at how happy he looks.

Fun in the Snow

Yesterday we went up to the mountain to go tubing. It has been a favorite of Cayden since we first went last year. This was Bryce's first year to take "the ride". Bryce loved going up and loved part of going down. However, you do go VERY fast and it can be VERY windy. He usually ended up at the bottom giggling but after 4 times he had had enough. Cayden, on the other hand, decided to walk up the huge hill so that he could get more runs. If you ride, you get 10 but if you walk, you get 15. Here are a few pictures of our day.

Crazy Drivers

Here is Bryce and Cayden out for a ride in Bryce's new Gator. Cayden is still able to fit and help him drive around. Unfortunately, it has been too cold and snowy here to be out too much in it.